A few words from Kalamandir's director :
Malabika Guha
Still, to this day, I fondly remember my teachers from whom I've learned
dance over the years ; the late guru, Bela Arnob, Guru Bipin Singh, who
passed away a few years ago, and many others such as Amala Shankar,
P.B. Raghavan, Gyanprakasham, N.K. Shivashankaran, Balakrishna
Menon, and Kalavati Devi.
Many years ago, when I started Kalamandir, I wanted it to be a
school of dance and music, whose main theme would be art. "Art for
art's sake," my teachers used to say. Over the years, my belief in this has
only strengthened. Art should not have any boundaries. An artist should
see beyond the four walls. Creativity, feelings, and a sense of freedom
must be our driving forces; not religious, racial, or even linguistic
differences. That is what I want to pass on to my students, as my
teachers have done for me.
During the past 23 years, Kalamandir has performed in over 200
shows all across the United States. Besides New Jersey, we have been
invited to perform in Boston, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Long
Island, Toronto, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles,
In 2004, Kalamandir has been invited for a performance in London, England - as
a dance troupe with the students of Kalamandir - being the school's first
performance abroad. After accomplishing our international
performance, we've been invited back to London for another prestigious
performance, along with two other performances in Europe - Holland
and Switzerland. In 2006, Kalamandir performed 5 shows in India,
including cities like Shillong, Kolkata and Santiniketan. Uday Shankar's festival in Kolkata, India - being one
of the biggest festivals to take place in Kolkata - has invited
Kalamandir for a performance. Our world has expanded enormously; I
hope our hearts and minds are expanding as well.
I dream one day my students will feel the dedication I have seen in
my guru's eyes. They will experience the sensation of being immersed in
a larger universe with a sense of creative joy as my teachers in
Shantiniketan made me feel. And they will feel the team spirit and
camaraderie I have felt as a part of Uday Shankar's troupe. Greatest of
all, they will feel the sense of freedom a true dancer always feels; a
freedom above the mundane, the ordinary, and the four walls of our
daily existence.